Well, I 've made a real effort in the past two weeks to "get out there" and do something different, I have signed up for some local figure drawing sessions here in Atlanta, and have had some pretty good results. The Cobb Museum of Art in Marietta on the square and The Bohemian Circus at The Apache Cafe on 3rd Street. Drawing from nature is always good practice , keeps your fundamental skills sharp by keeping you grounded academically. What I mean is this; as artist's, we learn by habit, and you can get stuck by drawing in your comfort zone too often. Things can get stale and rehearsed, so drawing from nature, be it landscape or figure, forces you to test yourself and follow a new map. You can't argue with anatomy and proportion, it's good for you too. Drawing from life(nature) means everything you see in front of you is accurate, the light and shadows and proportion, not like a photograph, there is 3 dimensional depth to account for. Anyway, it was refreshing and kind of like going back to school without trying to explain why and I intend to make drawing and painting from life more of a ritual practice to keep the skills in tune. Of course I am still going to draw from memory because that's where the artist's personal music is playing.
I definitely recommend checking out either of the venues listed above.
